Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 5:27 PM

Abel Guillen announced on Facebook today that he’s running for the open District 2 seat on the Oakland City Council. Guillen, an elected member of the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees since 2006, is the fifth declared candidate in the November council race.

“I simply love this city. Oakland has played big role in my life, shaping my character and instilling my dedication to community service. Oakland’s challenges are many and varied, but the solutions lie in our neighborhoods, our communities, our schools and the people of our city. I want to make District 2 an example of how we can move Oakland forward, together and build together,” said Guillen in a press release.

Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 5:14 PM

Across the country there is an estimated backlog of nearly 500,000 rape kits awaiting testing, including about 2,000 in Alameda County alone. To alleviate the backlog, Bay Area Congressman Mike Honda asked a House Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday to allow the FBI to eliminate a time-consuming bureaucratic step. Honda, along with FBI Director James Comey, also recommended Alameda County serve as a pilot for the plan.

Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 2:28 PM

The city councils of both Berkeley and Richmond unanimously passed resolutions last night calling for tighter regulation of the shipping of crude oil by rail through the East Bay. The Berkeley resolution went further, committing Berkeley to oppose all shipment of crude oil by rail through the city until tighter regulations are in place.

Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 10:35 AM

A recent survey conducted by the City of Oakland found that the Telegraph Avenue corridor — located between 20th Street and 57th Street — isn’t adequately configured for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders. The survey was conducted as part of the city’s Telegraph Avenue Complete Streets Project, an effort to redesign the Telegraph Avenue corridor into a more suitable area for all modes of travel.

Wed, Mar 26, 2014 at 9:59 AM

1. State Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco has been arrested by the FBI on public corruption charges, NBC Bay Area reports, citing anonymous sources. KCRA-TV in Sacramento reports that law enforcement officials are raiding Yee’s capitol office this morning. The FBI is also searching locations in San Francisco, the Chron reports. Yee is a candidate for secretary of state.